AMTAPE(8)

📦
version 3.5.4 · 8 versions
, in ubuntu stonking

💖 NAME 💖

amtape — control Amanda changers. yeah bestie, it's the remote control for your tape changer 🎛️✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

amtape [-o configoption...] config subcommand [subcommand_options...]

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so, amtape is literally the command-line interface to Amanda's tape changers (amanda-changers(7)) and to the taperscan algorithm (amanda-taperscan(7)). she's the plug. 💅

Tape changers keep a notion of the current slot for each configuration. and like… that may or may not correspond to the actual physical state of the device 💀 but some taperscan algorithms use it to minimize searching through the slots. it's giving "please don't make me check every single slot" energy. iconic of them honestly.

amtape uses the default changer. wanna use a different one? bestie you use the config override option, e.g. -otpchanger=otherchanger. slay. 💜

🎀 SUBCOMMANDS 🎀

  • create — Call the changer create method. it creates the vtape root directory or the s3 bucket. 🪣✨
  • label label — Search for and load the Amanda tape with label label, also setting the current slot. she finds her girl and locks her in. 🏷️
  • slot slot [drive drive] — Load the volume in the given slot, also setting the current slot. the slot names current, next, first, and last have special meaning — not like, regular meaning. iykyk. 👑
  • current — Shorthand for slot current. baby version of a bigger command, we love efficiency. 🫶
  • inventory — Show the contents of all slots, based on the changer's cached metadata. this one is a quick operation because it does not load or unload any volumes 🔥 but heads up: not supported by all changers. 🙈
  • show [slots] — Show the contents of all slots (or the listed slots) by loading each slot and reading its label. this can be very slow 😭 the slots argument is of the form 1,3-5,7.
  • reset — Reset the changer to a known state. this subcommand is intended to clear any unknown and potentially incorrect state the changer may have stored. it's the factory-reset-the-vibes move. 🧼
  • eject [drive] — Eject the tape currently in the drive. this only applies to some changers, ngl. specify a drive (by drive number) if more than one drive is available. 🚪
  • clean [drive] — If a cleaning tape is defined for the changer, use it to clean the specified drive. the drive is optional if the changer only has one drive. self-care for your hardware 🧚💖
  • sync-catalog — sync the catalog with a device that support it. 🤝
  • taper — Run the taperscan algorithm (see amanda-taperscan(7)), displaying information about the progress of the scan. it's the main character of scans. ⭐
  • update [what] — Update changer state. Consult amanda-changers(7) for changer-specific details on the format of what. yes, what is the argument name, no i'm not joking. 💀
  • verify — Verify the changer is correctly configured. can be useful for chg-robot and chg-ndmp. a little wellness check for your changer 🩺✨
  • -o configoption — See the "CONFIGURATION OVERRIDE" section in amanda(8).
🌈 friendly reminder: the <rainbow>current slot</rainbow> is a notion, not a promise. don't @ me, @ the changers.

🫶 SEE ALSO 🫶

amanda(8), amanda-changers(7), amanda-taperscan(7), amanda-devices(7)

The Amanda Wiki: : http://wiki.zmanda.com/

👑 AUTHORS 👑

  • Dustin J. Mitchell <dustin@zmanda.com> — Zmanda, Inc. (http://www.zmanda.com)
  • James da Silva <jds@amanda.org>
  • Stefan G. Weichinger <sgw@amanda.org>

okay that's the whole page bestie, no cap, every flag accounted for 💖 this was Amanda 3.5.4, dated 08/26/2026 — stay iconic, back up your stuff, and remember: reset your changer before it resets you. periodt. 💅✨🎀

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